The incidence of violent conflict and insecurity in Africa is evident and apparent. Armed conflicts have become a regular realism in Africa for so long and the continent is predominantly conflict-prone and has also accommodated more than one-third of international armed conflicts in the last few years. The resurgence of conflict in Africa after the Cold War is mostly worrisome and disturbing. Despite these challenges and threats posed by conflict in the region, there is little or no common approach in terms of proper policy formulation or implementation for appropriate prevention and management of these conflicts that occurs in the continent. Therefore, the trust of this study seeks to study these touching issues to offer a conceivable and enduring resolution to the issues. The research was carried out using secondary sources of data and was analyzed qualitatively. The causes of conflict and insecurity were revealed. The paper also observed that the prospect of achieving Agenda 2063 of the African Union profoundly depends on proper institutions for conflict prevention, management, and resolution in the continent. Hence, the paper recommends among others, that efforts must be intensified to harmonize the African strategy on good governance agenda, as APSA and AGA are similar in their visions and objectives. Whereas AGA places emphasis on comprehensive demands of good governance, APSA on the other hand emphasizes the importance of the instruments for proper conflict management, resolution, and by extension on peace-building in the region. Hence, there is a need for both to work together, as this will not only promote the desirable peace, security, and development in the continent of Africa but, will also guarantee a lead way for the Attainment of Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

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The security, economic, social and political disruptions of the state induced by the activities of organized crime has weakened the state’s authority to carry out its expected functions of good governance. In Nigeria, the illegal activities of criminal cartel groups affect government’s resources and its ability to enhance the welfare, basic human needs and living standard of its citizens. The criminal cartels who in their corrupt practices penetrate political offices to wax their influence, strengthened by the integration of security agencies and judicial organs of the state to shield their illegal activities carried out by violence or threat of violence have become a course for national concern. This is why urgent attention needs to be taken to address the menace. It is against this background that the paper examined the impact of organized crime on good governance and also to proffer ways the menace can be reduced to the barest minimum. The paper adopted the bureaucracy model of organized crime since it is organized like a conventional bureaucracy pyramid shape with members in hierarchical leadership through which its activities are carried out. The paper utilized secondary sources of data and was historically analyzed. The findings of the paper revealed that the ill activities of organized crime undercut government’s transparency, accountability, popular political participation and ability to harness resources for the well-being of the citizens. It is also observe that the infiltration of organized criminals in public affairs subverts government’s welfare policies of its citizens, due to gross corruption all over public office, among others. The recommendations include inter alia: That political and economic agencies should beef up their administrative tentacles and arsenals to stem the tide of organized criminal cartels, leaders should muster the political will to restrict people from lifestyles that encourages organized crime, the government should ensure that welfare dimension of human needs is provided to attract citizens’ patriotism to shun criminal groups and their activities, among others.

This study investigates the governance of natural resources to promote socio-economic and people-centred development in Nigeria. The paper relied on secondary sources of data, focusing on the three main variables: conflict, politics and power. Nigeria is endowed with abundant natural resources, which accounts for about 65% of total tax revenue, driven mostly by an increase in export earnings from the oil and gas sector. Most resource-related conflicts are implicated by the inequitable distribution of benefits accruing to resources. The State and elite, in alliance with foreign corporations, enjoy the benefits of the exploited resource. Host-communities face the debilitating negative environmental impacts and the discrepancy between indigenous traditional laws and state laws that define ownership of natural resources in a federal but unitary state has led to controversial relations among states in Nigeria. The paper took an extensive look at the politics of natural resource extraction and governance in Nigeria and explored the themes through which the causative relationship between natural resources and conflicts can be differentiated. It noticed the political economy of natural resources as embedded within the broader global power relations. The paper concludes that regulation must be anchored to elements of good governance, especially democracy, rule of law, transparency and accountability, as well as efficient and equitable management of resource revenues.